Page 39 of Straw and Gold
“Ah,” she started, turning her body and inching closer. “And there’s the truth of it. A great king on his fourth attempt at finding someone who can discover the most basic of truths about him. This explains so much.”
I bared my teeth, meeting her with my own lean into her space. “And what exactly does it explain, Goldling?”
Fedir cleared his throat. “I’ll just go see about those fabrics, then.”
I barely perceived his leaving.
“Your attempt at control of all things,” she continued, holding my stare. “You left out that little part in our bargain. You can’t change Seraphine as you are, can you?”
“No.”
“You need me just as much as I need you.”
“Yes.” My treacherous eyes darted to her lips.
“What a fool you must think I am.” She shook her head in a sneer. “Your tag-along little wife, learning the Céaduah language because maybe,just maybe, she’ll figure out your true name and return your power. If she doesn’t?” She leaned closer, fury in her eyes. “No harm done to you, right? You’ll just look for another and bury her with the rest.”
Her wings flared and she rose, attempting to climb over me to exit the booth. I grabbed her wrist before she could flee on golden raven wings, and we shifted through the wooden table. I held her tightly to my chest, shifting through the old wooden well bucket, next the rolling ladder of my favorite bookseller. We shifted further from town, sliding through the trees until at last I stopped.
Holding her arms at her side and pressing her back to my chest, we landed under the trees at the precipice of the Citrine Cliffs—exactly where she was meant to fly that day I showed her the library. The wind rose, pulling hair from her braid in black wisps. I leaned down, whispering in her ear, “You will discover my true name, Moh Dhóches.” I swept her hair back from her face, gathering the bundle of long, thick strands in my hand, tugging them gently so her head fell back and she could meet my eyes. “You will say it here, before the next ten weeks are over when the golden light of dawn hits this very spot.”
She wiggled an arm free and wrapped her fingers over my hand at her neck. “If I’m not dead fir?—”
I grabbed the base of her chin, closing her mouth before she could finish. “Oh, no, Moh Dhóches, there is no death coming to you. I’ll make sure of that.”
Her breath caught and her eyes of speckled gold flickered over mine with an intensity I did not expect. A longing in her gaze pierced me and sharpened my grin. I slid my fingers from her chin, trailing them slowly down her neck, exposed and soft. “Do you enjoy being held this way?” I questioned, my hands softly following the slope of her chest.
She inhaled sharply when I reached her belly, pressing so she lay flush with my own body. “Maybe I enjoy it, too.” I shifted, allowing my hard cock to lay flush with her back. I chuckled softly as her eyes widened in an understanding of what she did to me.
In a flash of feathers, she turned, slipping out of my grasp and pressing her chest flush with mine. Grabbing the lapels of my jacket, she pulled herself up to murmur near my lips, “You are nothing more than talk, Killian.” She slid her hands under the midnight silk, running the pads of her fingers across my skin. “You could have had me any way you like by now, but you’ve chosen to keep yourself at arm’s length and omit somevery pertinent information about what happens to the fae you bring into your bargains.”
Catching her wrist, I pulled her knuckles to my lips. “You would have said no. I needed you to say yes.”
She shook her head. “Our marriage contract says three months and either of us can give this up…what happens to you in three months, Killian?”
Goddess, she was clever. “I cannot tell you,” I paused, lifting her chin for emphasis. “…Moh Dhóches.”
She caught my hint instantly, her brows narrowed in thought. “My…something,” she started. “My…chance? My…my last chance?”
I shook my head softly, still holding her hand and pressing it to my heart. “My future now lies with you. As soon as you entered that bargain, you sealed it. You control what happens on this cliff less than ten weeks from now.You, Morella.”
A shiver racked through her body and she nodded. “Moh Dhóches,” she repeated. “My Fate.”
CHAPTER 21
Morella
“Where doyou think you’re going?” Killian demanded to know as I slipped on my shoes and wrapped myself into my dressing robe.
We’d left the cliffside across the vast valley silently, passing through trees and doors until he’d deposited us in our room. Without a word, we went about our ways, both lost in thought, both exhausted and preparing for sleep. But I had a little energy left and I needed a place to think. Spinning had always brought me comfort in the way the wheel kept time to the push of my foot and the smooth slide of wool through my fingers. I looked down at my fingers then, feeling for the small blisters forming from spinning straw instead.
“Three spools of golden thread,” I explained. “I will keep all parts of my side of the bargain, husband, regardless of how tired I am.”
He sprinted across the room in his large stride, grabbing hold of my arm before I could open the bedroom door. “We’ve been over this. You are to rest. You can take up spinning again when your body is properly fueled.”
“I’m just sitting there,” I retorted. “It’s not like I’m roaming around a city for hours on end.” I pulled myself from his grasp, but he was in front of me before I could reach the handle.
“Your Changelingfae magic drains you more than you’ve realized. It's why you slept so long even though you had your usual amount of thistle nuts.”
